It really is a small world
by Brianna Lynette
Summary: In a city of four million people Don Flack finally met a woman that he could see himself with. The only problem is that she is his best friends sister. Flack/OC. DL.
1. Coffee

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything familiar to you. I do own Kennedi, her sisters and Connor.

**I just wanted to let you all know a few things before you read the story. First of all this will not be a Flack/Angell story. I like them together but for the purpose of this story they are just friends. Second, Danny and Louie aren't the only Messer siblings. They have three sisters. Third, I will be changing some of Danny and Lindsay's relationship around a little to fit my story a little better. I don't think it will be that much. I also am a fan but don't know that much about theater or Broadway. So please be forgiving if I get something wrong. If it bothers you tell me and I will do my best to fix it. Another thing is one of the people in my story is Adam Pascal. I know that the real Adam might never in a million years do some of these things but it does work for my story. Please don't get upset over me using him. I also hope that I haven't offended anybody with something I wrote. If I did I am truly sorry. I would like to ask if someone is willing to help me with a story that is a crossover between Vegas and NY. If you are let me know in a review or pm/email me. That is pretty much it for now. This is probably the only time I will be posting my author's note before the chapter. I usually post it at the bottom. I hope you like this story but please when you review give me your honest opinion.**

**Brianna**

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It was snowing the first time they met. He was enjoying some much needed time off of work by getting a cup of coffee at his favorite coffee shop. It was more crowded than usual and Don had gotten there just in time to get his coffee, a blueberry muffin and a table in just the right spot for people watching. He had been there for about five minutes when he saw her. She stumbled through the door of the shop bumping into an older man that was leaving. The man said something to her and judging by the glare she sent his direction it wasn't something she liked. Don shook his head at how rude some people could be. That woman had her hands full with folders of some sort and didn't mean to run into the man, but the old man was unforgiving. After the man left, the young detective turned to watch the neighborhood kids play a game of street hockey. When he looked around the coffee shop again a few minutes later, he noticed the young woman from earlier trying to balance her muffin, coffee and look for a place to sit at the same time. There were no empty tables. She looked like she could use a break so Don left his jacket on his chair and got up to help her. He got there just in time to catch the folders that were slipping from her hands.

"Thanks. I just need to find a table and then I can take those from you. You don't mind do you?" She asked him with a smile.

"Your welcome, and no I don't mind. In fact I came over here to ask you if you wanted to share my table with me. I noticed you looking for one and then noticed that there weren't any open." A look of relief came over her face as he said this.

"Lead the way." The detective made his way through the crowd towards where he had been sitting by the window. As she was organizing her stuff they way she wanted it, Don took this time to take in her appearance. She was slim about five foot six and had the most gorgeous, silky dark red hair that fell to the middle of her back. He noticed that her pale cheeks were still slightly pink from being out in the cold as she tied her hair back with a ribbon. She looked about twenty-eight or twenty-nine.

"So may I know the name of my savior?" she asked once she was settled across from him.

"Don Flack and your name, my sweet lady, is?"

"Kennedi Messer. Thank you so much for helping me. I was supposed to meet my friend here but he bailed on me." When she said the name Messer, Don couldn't help but wonder if she was any relation to Danny. After all Messer wasn't a name you hear every day, even in a city as big as New York.

"It's not a problem, but what kind of guy would stand up a beautiful woman like you?" He knew it was probably not a good idea to flirt with her, especially if she was related to Danny, but he couldn't help himself.

"They gay kind that's who. Michael finally got the nerve to ask out this guy he has had his eye on for awhile, but the only time they could both do anything was today. And if I hadn't told him that I could go through all this stuff by myself then I would have lost one of my very best friends."

"Then you being stood up is good for both Michael and me. What was he suppose to help you with? Maybe I can help you out." Kennedi laughed and took a sip of her coffee.

"Well unless you have a vast knowledge of Broadway shows, then you can't help me. Trust me when I say this, you don't seem the type to like theater."

"I'll have you know that I am a native New Yorker missy and do know a couple of musicals."

"Yes but do you know them well enough to pick out one to do that is appropriate for children to perform? I don't think you do."

"And why is that exactly? You don't know me. I could very well be a closet musical guy."

"Well the fact that you assumed that I was talking about a musical when I said Broadway shows, tells me that you don't know as much about theater as you want me to believe. But since you seem to think you can help me what kind of Broadway shows do you know?"

"Um well there is." Don was struggling to think of the names of the plays he had seen advertised the last time he went down Broadway.

"There was CATS. And that one with the green person I can't think of the name right now. Then there is the one about that Phantom guy." Kennedi laughed at her companion's difficulty to come up with names of some theater productions.

"Stop. Please stop. You are just embarrassing yourself and proving me right at the same time. And you sound like my brother did that one time he was hitting on an actress I knew."

"Well if that actress was as beautiful as you then I must give this brother of yours credit for trying. Couldn't you do a Disney movie or something? Didn't they turn a bunch of their movies into plays?" Don grinned when Kennedi mentioned her brother. Trying to impress a girl with his musical knowledge was something Don knew that Danny would do. He almost asked her if Danny got the actresses number, but refrained when he realized that he didn't even know if Danny was her brother.

"Yes we could do The Lion King, Little Mermaid, or Beauty and the Beast. However I don't know if these kids would want to. Some of them are in middle school but most of them are high schoolers; and I have to find a way to let them be happy about the play we are doing while making sure it is subject appropriate."

"So what's with all the papers then? Is it like a complete list of every musical ever made or something?"

"No. It's all the suggestions from the kids about what musical we should do. Most of them want to do Phantom of the Opera, Rent, or Sweeny Todd."

"And you can't do those because?"

"Well Phantom is a little too dark and intense for the younger kids, plus it's really hard to maneuver a set like that in our theater. No matter what they hear in school most of the younger one's parents would prefer that we not let their children perform a play about a demon barber. Rent has almost everything that middle school children aren't suppose to know about yet. It has cursing, sex, aids, a few homosexual couples, drugs and that is something that the parents of the middle school kids would not like to see their kids in. Most parents let their kids hang out at the theater because it is a safe place to go and have fun without getting into trouble. The parents are trying to keep their children from the drugs and the cursing. I would love to put on a production of Rent. It is my sisters and I favorite musical of all time. But we have certain restrictions when it comes to these kids and that is why Rent is out of the question."

"I see your problem. Why don't you do that one with the two rival gangs or whatever?" when Don said this Kennedi's emerald eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Don that's brilliant! We can do West Side Story. Nobody will object to that. Not the parents or the students. Thank you so much! Once again you saved me. Now I can relax and think about something else. Like you. What do you do?" Don smiled at her child like excitement. All the while trying to figure out how to answer her question. He had to be careful because he wasn't sure if confirming what he already suspected was a good thing. If it was true that she was related to Danny then dating her might not be a good idea. He didn't want to ruin his chances with the first girl he connected with in a long time. He decided to take his chances.

"Once again you are welcome. As for me, I'm a homicide detective with the NYPD. Which reminds me, I was wondering if you could clear something up for me?" When the words homicide detective came out of Don's mouth Kennedi's eyes widened in surprise. She started to laugh to herself. It was just her luck. That when she finally meets a nice guy that she really connected with he had to turn out to know her brother. 'He probably wants to know if I'm Danny's sister.' She thought to herself.

"It figures of all the people I could have met today, I meet a homicide detective. I have a feeling I know what you're going to ask me. So ask away." Don wasn't surprised that she figured it out. She wasn't stupid.

"Are you related to Danny Messer by any chance?" As he asked his question her eyes met his. They stayed like that for almost a minute. Green on blue. Blue on green. Neither one of them ready for her to answer just yet.

"Yeah. I'm one of his baby sisters." Her voice was quite as she answered without breaking eye contact. Finally, Don broke away and turned to look out the window. The young Messer just sat there waiting for him to respond.

"Just one of his baby sisters? How many of you are there?" Kennedi smiled and made a decision right then that she wouldn't let the 'Danny Factor' stop her.

"Three. Kellie, Kristi, and I. We're triplets, but were not identical. I'm the only one in my family that has red hair and green eyes. My sisters are blond and blue eyed like D.J. and Louie."

"Who did you get your hair and eyes from? And D.J.?"

"My maternal grandmother. She was Irish. They skipped a generation though. My mom has brown hair and brown eyes. My brothers and sisters get the blond hair and blue eyes from our Italian relatives. And D.J. is my nickname for Danny. His middle name is Jonathan and when I was about six I heard my dad call my mom Jen. I thought this was weird because her name was Jennifer. So I went and asked Danny about it. He said that it was a nickname. A shortened version of somebody's name. Then I thought it would be cool if I gave him a nickname, but then he said that he already had one. When I asked him what it was he told me Danny. I laughed and said that it didn't count because it was his name. He then told me that his name was Daniel and that Danny was the short version of that. I was still determined to give him a nickname so over the next couple of days I thought really hard about it. I don't remember how I thought of D.J. but one day I called him that; and he just looked at me weird and accepted his new nickname. I'm the only one that calls him D.J. and the only one allowed to call him that." For the next hour or so Don and Kennedi sat in that coffee shop talking about everything and nothing. At about eleven-thirty Kennedi looked at her watch a jumped up.

"Crap. I didn't realize how late it was. I have to go. I'm sorry. It was nice meeting you." She was about to rush off and leave Don by himself, but he stopped her.

"Hey! Can I at least get your number?" She grinned, gave it to him then rushed out into the busy New York Streets.

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As Kennedi sat in traffic, she thought about her morning and meeting Don. He was a nice guy and she really liked him. She tried to remember if D.J. ever mentioned him when he talked about his friends from work. She could never remember. She also knew that getting involved with him could be a bad idea. Not because of D.J. though. 'Oh well, no reason to worry about it now.' She told herself. When Kennedi pulled up in front of her parents Staten Island home all thoughts of her morning left her mind as she observed the scene in the front yard. There was a group of about six or seven neighborhood boys all throwing snowballs at each other while the older couple on the porch laughed at how silly they were being. As she got out of her car Kennedi heard her father call a timeout.

"Hey kids why don't you take a break for a minute." The boys didn't seem to like this idea.

"Aww Pops what for? It's a snow day!" The older man grinned at the younger boy who addressed him.

"I know it's a snow day but don't you want to at least tell your mother hello so she doesn't think you're ignoring her?" As Jonathan Messer answered his grandson's question his mother walked up to meet them. As soon as she was behind him Connor turned around to give his mother a hug.

"Hi mom. Can we finish our game now?" Kennedi laughed at her son.

"Hey kid and of course you can but as soon as lunch is ready you will have to stop it again ok?" Connor nodded at his mother and then went off to play with his friends again. The three adults just smiled at him before going into the house.


	2. A Dinner Date

A couple of days after meeting him in the coffee shop, Kennedi got a voicemail from Don on her phone. In the message he told her that he wanted to ask her out but he was called out on a murder case that was proving to be harder to solve than normal and he didn't know when he would have time to sleep much less take a beautiful woman out for dinner. That phone call made the young mother's day and it was almost time to go home for the night when she finally got a chance to call him back.

"Flack" she smiled at the sound of his voice.

"So I was thinking that since you are going to be so busy for the next week or so that maybe instead of going out I could make you a good old fashioned Italian home cooked meal. What do you say?" Don grinned.

"I would say that sounds like a good idea. When did you want to do this?"

"Well we covered a lot of the basic first date information at the coffee shop the other day but there is still some stuff you need to know before we get to much further into this. This weekend is the best time for me. I just need you to tell me when a good time for you is." The detective thought about it for a minute. He could probably get away for a few hours tonight. They were at a breaking point and if they needed him they would call him. She would understand if he had to leave.

"I could get away for a couple hours tonight if that works for you."

"Does seven work for you?" He told her it did and they agreed to meet at her place around that time. When he hung up the phone he found two of his closest friends staring at him.

"Hey Flack got a new girlfriend or what?" Danny Messer asked him.

"She is not my girlfriend Messer, at least not yet."

"Well tell me about her. Is she hot?" Danny's question earned him a glare from girlfriend.

"Danny!"

"What? It's a fair question. And I would have still asked it even if you weren't hear Montana so don't glare at me." The blue eyed man laughed at the couple in front of him.

"Trust me D you don't want to know if I think this girl is hot." The CSI gave his friend an odd look at that.

"Why not?"

"You just don't alright. I got to go check some things with Angell. I'll see you guys later." As Don walked away from the couple he could hear Lindsay yelling at Danny about something. He shook his head and laughed to himself. He was glad that his friend had found someone like Lindsay. He wondered what Kennedi could have to tell him. The way she said it made it sound like something big. Something that maybe might change his mind about being with her. While working through the next few hours he tried to remember anything that his friend might have let slip about his sisters. It wasn't until he stopped by the lab before leaving for his date that he remember something. Actually Lindsay and Stella reminded him.

"Hi ladies. How are things going?" At Don's greeting the two women looked up and that is when he noticed that the younger woman looked upset about something.

"We are just waiting for results at the moment. That's all we can really do. How about you?" Stella answered him.

"Jess is running down some leads but other than that we are waiting on the science as well. Is something wrong Lindsay?"

"No nothing that is life or death. It's just Danny's sisters want to throw us a baby shower but I have never met them. Now I know meeting them won't be too hard but there is three of them and I don't know how to keep them straight. Meaning how to remember which one is which and Danny told me how they introduce themselves to people but I don't want to meet them and have them realize that I don't know which one of them is which. So Stella was trying to help me."

"Yeah and I can tell her how to know which one Kennedi is because she looks nothing like her sisters. Kellie and Kristi are another story however. I know one of the sisters is married but for the life of me I can't remember which one. I do however know that her husband's name is Adam and he was in a musical about ten years ago."

"Well I don't think you should worry about it too much Linds. His sisters will help you." It was at that point Danny turned the corner and stopped a little ways down from where the three of them were standing. He was on the phone and seemed to be a little frustrated with the person on the other end.

"I have no idea if I have it though! Why do you need it so badly? Can't you just make this guy something else? Hold on Lindsay might know if we have it let me ask her." Danny closed the distance between him and his three colleagues. After hearing Danny's side of the conversation Don started to listen a little more closely. He had a feeling he knew who his friend was talking to.

"Montana do you know if we have the chicken parm recipe?" his girlfriend thought about it for a moment before she answered.

"The Messer family recipe that I borrowed from your mother? Yes I think so why?"

"Kennedi is making dinner for some guy tonight and has decided that she can make nothing but chicken parm for him." His answer caused the person on the other end of the phone to say something that caused Danny to roll his eyes.

"This guy must be pretty special to be getting a home cooked meal. So when do I get to meet him?" Don smiled.

"Never? That is so not cool Ken. If I don't get to meet him then I am not going to help convince Lindsay about the baby shower."

"Fine but I still want to meet him. I know you still have a key so you can go get the recipe. It is in the cupboard above the stove." Danny hung up his phone and shook his head.

"Sister has a new boyfriend Danny?" Stella asked her friend.

"Yeah I just hope he is better than the last guy she dated. I was this close to committing murder but he disappeared before I had the chance." The Italian's answer intrigued Don. Old boyfriends weren't something Kennedi and he had covered in their coffee shop conversation.

"Why, what did he do?"

"Treated her like crap, accused her of cheating, and then left her." Don suspected that there was more to the story but didn't ask any more questions. Kennedi would tell him if she wanted him to know. A few minutes later the four friends went their separate ways. Don to his car so he could shower before dinner at Kennedi's.

The closer it got to seven, the more nervous Kennedi became. She almost had to laugh at herself because she hadn't been this nervous about a date in a long time. 'Maybe it's because I really like him.' she thought to herself. It had been a long time since she had liked a guy as much as she liked Don. This was the first time that she had dreaded telling a prospective boyfriend about Connor. Her view was always that if the guy got scared away by her son then he wasn't worth her time. But she had never hoped for a guy to not get scared away. A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts. When she opened the door she couldn't stop herself from the grinning. Don stood there looking freshly showered in a pair of nice black slacks and a blue dress shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. Kennedi invited him in and told him to make himself at home. He took off his jacket and hung it on the back of the couch while he took a look around at her apartment. The main room in Kennedi's apartment was open and spacious. One half was taken up by the kitchen, and a dinner table, while the other half was used as the living room. The living room had a modern looking entertainment center that held her various electronics including, what looked like a Nintendo wii. She had a couch in the center facing the entertainment center with an overstuffed chair on each side, and a coffee table in the middle. There seemed to be various pictures and other little knick-knacks spread amongst the cds, movies, and books. Don smiled. He liked her apartment. It looked lived in and it seemed to match her personality. He was about to go over and look at her pictures when she stopped him.

"So dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I hope you like chicken parmesan it's a family recipe. Would you like something to drink?"

"That sounds delicious and I would love some water or a soda if you have it. I would normally drink but I'm on call so I can't."

"That's fine I understand that. Let me see what I have." He watched her as she went to the fridge. She looked beautiful yet comfortable. She was wearing a long denim skirt and an emerald green t-shirt that went with her eyes.

"Let's see I have Gatorade, apple juice, sprite, and water. What is the gentleman's preference this evening?" Kennedi told him with a grin. Don grinned back at her.

"Sprite would be perfect my lady thank you." After handing him his soda, Kennedi put dinner on the table and the couple sat down to eat.

"This is really good. But I have a little confession to make. I knew that you were making this."

"Oh really detective and how did you come across this information?"

"I was talking to Stella and Lindsay when Danny came to ask Lindsay for the recipe this afternoon."

"Why does that not surprise me? Speaking of work how is your case going?"

"Slowly but we're getting there. Right now we are just waiting for lab results to come in. But I don't want to talk about work. How was your day?"

"It was good. We are starting auditions for the spring musical next week and I had lunch with my favorite person today just me and him." Kennedi purposely didn't elaborate about who she had lunch with. Hoping that the longer she waited to tell him about Connor the easier it would be. He seemed to sense that she didn't want to talk about it and moved on by telling her about his sister Melanie.

"And now she is finally starting to get help but it's so hard on her I want to help her but I don't know how. Anyway what about your sisters?"

"Well as you know I have two of them and were are triplets. Despite Kellie and Kristi being the only blond ones people still have trouble telling us apart. So we came up with a way to introduce ourselves to make it easier for people. Over the years it has changed of course but it works for us. Danny thinks it's funny. Kellie is the married one. She and her husband Adam have been married for three years but together for five."

"Wasn't he in a musical or something?"

"How do you know that? Has D.J. been talking about us?"

"Yes he has mentioned you three but to be honest I couldn't remember what he told me about you. Lindsay and Stella actually helped me. Lindsay was asking Stella how to tell the three of you apart and Stella said that you were easy because of your hair. She also said that she knew one of you was married to a guy named Adam who had been in a musical."

"That is true. So what do you know about Kristi then?"

"Nothing. Danny interrupted asking about the recipe before I could find out."

"Well Kellie has started to take over our uncle's restaurant and Adam helps her out but works mostly on his music. As for Kristi she is a lawyer at a small successful law firm where she met her fiancé, Jason."

"And what about you? How do you introduce yourself?" Kennedi was ready for this question. She only hoped that he would still want to see her.

"Yes well you remember how I said that there were some things you needed to know before this could go any further." Don nodded.

"Well I want to tell you but I think we should move over to the living room first." The detective agreed with her and the two of them put their dinner dishes in the sink. Before she sat down Kennedi grabbed a couple of photo albums off the shelf.

"I don't usually make such a big deal out of telling guys this. I have always gotten the same reaction from guys and usually it's my sisters or friends setting me up with these guys. So when I tell them I know not to expect them to call or ask me out again. And that is ok with me. I understand where they are coming from and to expect them to call again is asking a lot of them. Meeting you in that coffee shop was the first time I let myself be like that with a guy in a long time. So before I start my story I need to ask you not to ask questions until I'm done. Can you do that?"

"Yes. And just so you know I haven't been able to connect like that with someone in a long time as well." Kennedi smiled.

"First I want to tell you that I do want to continue seeing you. But if you don't think that this can work after I tell you this then I hope that we can be friends. Since you are D.J.'s best friend then you already know some things. You know that we grew up on the same street as Sonny Sassone and that Louie was a Tanglewood Boy. What you don't know is that Sonny had a little brother named Tony and he and D.J. were best friends. Despite how Sonny turned out, the Sassone's were good people and our families were great friends. So when not only was Louie a Tanglewood Boy but he was one of the original two. Sonny and him came up with it. At first it was just something fun to call their group of friends but eventually it became the drugs, vandalism and whatever else it was that they did. I remember one night D.J. and Tony came home whispering about something. That was the night they stopped hanging out with the Tanglewood Boys so much. Tony and D.J. were never officially Tanglewood Boys. Having Tony around was like having two D.J.'s. We all loved Tony, he was a good guy. Tony and D.J. both played baseball for the varsity team at school. Tony also played with another team outside of school. One thing you should know is that I was dating a guy from the baseball team. On the night Louie and D.J. were supposed to go to Atlantic City, Tony was out of town at a game with his other team. Back then I had no idea that Louie and Sonny stopped being friends that week. Louie didn't live at home anymore and D.J. wasn't speaking to him so we really had no way of knowing. The Tanglewood Boys messed with a lot of people, took other guys girlfriends, and dated their sisters. But none of them were allowed to mess with my sisters and I. Louie wouldn't stand for it. After his fight with Louie, D.J. went and met up with Tony. My boyfriend and I had had a fight while out on our date the night after D.J.'s fight with Louie. It was dark but I was only a couple of blocks from my house so I decided to walk." Kennedi paused to take a breath.

"I know that D.J. said that there were only three Tanglewood Boys back then but that's not true. There was a fourth guy named Vinnie. And on my way home that night he attacked me. He was alone and the only reason I knew it was him was because before he let me go he told me that he would kill me if big brother Louie found out about it. I didn't tell anyone at first and it bothered Kellie and Kristi so much that as soon as D.J. and Tony got home they said something. The two of them didn't say anything to me at first. They just kind of watched me and how I was acting. Apparently from the way I was being they concluded what happened. D.J. thought it was my boyfriend. D.J. never did like him or the way he treated me. After observing me for a couple of days they came and talked to me. I was alone in my room and the two of them came in together. D.J. asked me if my boyfriend had hurt me because if he did he was going to kill him. He went on like that for a while and Tony and I let him. Finally when he stopped talking, Tony just looked me in the eyes and asked me which one of them it was." Kennedi stopped again. She looked up at Don to see how he was taking all of this. He seemed calm just sitting there listening to her story. She figured it was the cop in him.

"D.J. looked at him like he was crazy and asked him what he meant by his question. Tony didn't answer him. He just kept looking at me waiting for my answer. I didn't want to answer him at first because I was afraid that Vinnie would make good on his threat if I told them. I knew that neither my brother or Tony were going to leave until I told them what was going on and Vinnie had just told me that I couldn't tell Louie. So I told them who it was. D.J. was about ready to go find Vinnie and kill him but Tony stopped him. A few days later Vinnie died in a car accident and before you assume otherwise it was an accident. He had been drinking and he wrapped his car around a tree. D.J. asked Tony how he knew it was one of the Tanglewood Boys. Tony said that Sonny had called him. Telling him that he didn't want him hanging out with D.J. anymore. From that phone call Tony figured that Louie and Sonny had had a falling out." She took a deep breath. This next part was the part that could make him run. She considered stopping but she was on a roll so why not let him hear the rest?

"I told my sisters but I didn't want Louie to know because if he did then he would do something stupid. My boyfriend and I didn't just fight that night, we broke up. He accused me of cheating on him with Tony of all people. I had told him that that was ridiculous because Tony and I weren't like that. So when I was begging D.J., Tony, and my sisters not to tell Louie, Kellie pointed out that he would find out if I told my parents. Since the car accident took care of Vinnie for me, the five of us decided that my parents didn't have to know. For a few weeks things seemed to be getting better. I wasn't back to my old self and probably never would be but I was working on it. Sonny had no idea that Tony was still hanging out with us but we weren't worried about him finding out either. About six weeks after everything happened I found out that I was pregnant. At first I didn't know what to do. My sisters said that I could get rid of the pregnancy and no one would ever have to know. But I didn't want to do that. D.J. said that if I was going to go through with the pregnancy then I would have to tell my parents about Vinnie. But that meant Louie would find out and I didn't want that to happen either. It looked like I was going to have no other choice then to tell my parents about what happened until Tony came up with an idea."

"He said that if I was ok with it we could tell my parents that the baby was Tony's. After all everybody at school already thought that Tony and I were together. Something that I could thank my ex for. The five of us created a story about Tony and I being together, then we sat down my parents and Tony's and told them. At first they were upset but Tony told them that he had a plan. He had already been planning on joining the Marines after graduation to help put him through college, so he could still do that and help me with the baby we would have to get married. I was so impressed that Tony would sacrifice all this for me that I decided I could marry him. Our parents thought that it was very responsible of us to come up with a plan that they decided to stop being mad and help us out in any way they could. We picked a date for the wedding, started making plans for the baby, and tried to make it through the rest of the school year. Somehow in the middle of doing all of this I found myself falling in love with Tony. Kellie and Kristi were the first ones I told. In celebration we had a girl's night. Complete with chick flicks and junk food. They were the only ones I could really be happy about with it because everybody else already thought I was in love with him. A few nights after celebrating with my sisters I told him how I felt. In response he told me that he had fallen in love with me a long time ago. Then he proposed. We were technically already engaged but Tony said that it wouldn't be right if he didn't ask me properly. He gave me his grandmother's ring. It was beautiful and I was so incredibly happy. Of course things couldn't stay that way. Since we were getting married Louie and Sonny had to find out. Louie said that as long as I was happy he didn't care that I was with Tony. Years later Louie told me that he wasn't going to punish Tony and I for what happened with Sonny. Sonny was a different story. Sonny told his brother that if he married me then they weren't family anymore. Tony said that as long as the Tanglewood Boys left him and I alone then he didn't care. We thought that was the end of it. It wasn't. A few days before the wedding Tony died. The coroner said that he had an allergic reaction to something he ate and couldn't get help in time. There was nothing suspicious about what happened but I have always been convinced that Sonny had something to do with it. So instead of getting married we buried Tony. Instead of having Tony in the delivery room I had D.J."

"A few weeks before the baby was due I got a visit from Tony's parents. His mom told me that she still wanted to know her grandchild and that she knew how much Tony loved me and the baby. I told them that I didn't know what was going to happen but I would let them see their grandchild as much as possible. Before they left they gave me a letter that they found in Tony's room. In the letter he told me how much he loved me and that he was looking forward to our life together. Towards the end of it he told me that no matter how weird people thought it was the baby's last name was going to be Messer. It has to be Messer because no matter how much I love this kid, they will always be more apart of you than me. I cried so hard after reading that letter because even though the baby wasn't really Tony's and we hadn't been together as long as everybody thought we had. I still found myself believing the story we had been telling was true. So I decided to let it be true. When I had the baby I put Tony down as the father. I felt my kid needed a little piece of his father so while keeping with what Tony wanted by giving the baby my last name, I still named him after Tony. So I have an almost eleven year old son named Connor Anthony Messer." As she finished her story Kennedi opened up the photo album to show Don a picture of baby Connor and then grabbed the picture frame off the side table of Connor now. Don didn't know what to say to Kennedi and was saved from having to say anything by his phone. It was Angell, there was a break in the case and he needed to come back to work. Kennedi followed him to the door.

"Kennedi I want to talk about this some more. I need to let it sink in a little bit more before I go deciding anything alright?"

"Sure Don I understand. Just let me know when you're ready to talk about it." Don promised her he would as he kissed her cheek and left.

**First of all I want to apologize for leaving this for so long. It wasn't my intention. Next I want to tell you guys yes I know that Kennedi's story was something that you don't normally tell on one of the first two dates but I felt like they bonded so much when they first met and they are connected by Danny that this is something that she wants him to know and telling him right off the bat was alright for their relationship. I hope ya'll were able to follow Kennedi's story alright and that it didn't confuse any of you. And obviously I am not going with what happened in the finale. Jessica is still alive. I like her and will miss her character. Lindsay is still pregnant in this story. She is about four to five months along. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I am sorry for leaving this for so long. To make up for it I am posting two chapters at once. Please review and let me know what you think, even if you hate it. Ideas are always appreciated.**

**Brianna**


	3. Don's Decision

The week after Don's dinner date with Kennedi, the two of them had exchanged flirty text messages and talked occasionally on the phone. Neither one of them ever mentioned what Kennedi revealed to Don. Truth be told Don didn't know what to say to her. He knew that he liked her a lot but what he didn't know was if he was ready to be involved with someone who had a son. He needed to talk to someone about it but he didn't know who. He usually went to Danny with these sorts of things but he couldn't do that this time. He was on his way back to the precinct thinking over his problem and he didn't notice Jessica, Stella, and Lindsay having lunch. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear them call his name and he jumped when Jessica reached out to grab his arm.

"Jess you scared the crap out of me. What's up?" Don told his friend.

"I didn't know you scared so easily Don. We tried calling your name but you didn't seem to hear us."

"Us?"

"I'm having lunch with Stella and Lindsay. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure." Don followed her back to the table she was sharing with the two CSIs. The two women greeted him with smiles.

"So what were you thinking about?" Jessica asked him.

"What? Oh I'm just trying to figure out what to do about something." The three women waited for him to elaborate. When he didn't they asked.

"Maybe we can help. What is the problem?" Stella asked. Don thought about it. It couldn't hurt to tell them and maybe they could help him figure out what to tell Kennedi. The only thing was that he had to make sure Danny didn't find out.

"Alright but I need to know that you guys aren't going to tell Danny. I don't want him to know until I have decided what to do."

"Is this something that Danny needs to know about Don?" Lindsay wanted to know.

"He doesn't need to know about it yet Linds. I will tell him just not yet alright?" This seemed to be alright with Lindsay so Don started his story.

"So about three weeks ago I was at my favorite coffee shop and I met this woman. She was beautiful and interesting, we connected instantly. We talked for two or three hours before she had to leave. I got her number and called her a few days later telling her I wanted to take her out but was in the middle of a case. She said that if I had a couple hours she would make me dinner instead of going out plus she needed to tell me something before this could go any further." At the words 'make me dinner' Stella smiled and Lindsay's eyes went wide.

"Don you didn't?"

"Let me finish please Lindsay."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm missing something?"

"Because you are Jess, now let him finish." Stella told her friend wanted to hear the end of the detective's story.

"I knew that I could get away for a few hours because we were really just waiting on lab results. So I went over there and after dinner she sat me down and told me a story. She said that she had never told it like this before but since she really liked me and wanted to keep seeing me she felt like she should. After it was all said and done I learned that she has a son. She told me that if I didn't feel like I could handle being in a relationship with someone who had a kid then she would understand but she wanted us to be friends. I didn't get a chance to say anything to her because my phone rang and I had to go back to work. Before I left I told her that I wanted to finish talking about what she told me but that I needed to let it sink in a little before I decided anything. She said she understood and to let her know when I was ready. We have been texting and talking on the phone almost every night since."

"But not about what she told you?" Stella asked him.

"No not about what she told me. I really like her and I would love to keep seeing her but I don't know how it would work with her son." They all just looked at him not knowing what to say.

"Did I mention that she is also Danny's sister?" Stella's face broke out into that smile she always got when she was proven right. Lindsay just nodded. Jessica was the only one who looked surprised.

"Don I think there is only one thing that you can do. If you are willing to continue seeing her even though she has a son, she needs to know that. Just tell her that you want to take it slow because you aren't sure how it's supposed to work." Don didn't respond to Stella right away. That sounded good. He could tell Kennedi that. They could take it slow.

"I think I can do that thanks Stella. Well it was nice talking to you ladies but I need to get back to work if I plan on having tomorrow off." The detective started to leave when he was stopped by Lindsay.

"Hey Don which sister of Danny's was it?" Don laughed at Lindsay still trying to figure out how to tell the Messer sisters apart.

"Kennedi. She's the red head. Kellie is the married one and Kristi is the lawyer." The young mother to be looked relieved.

"Thanks." Don heard as he walked away from his three colleagues. Once he got back to his desk he tried to get his work done as fast as he could. The sooner he was done the sooner he could go call Kennedi.

_Meanwhile_

While Don was trying to finish his work, Kennedi was having lunch with her sisters and Michael. She was using them to try and get her mind off of Don but it didn't seem to be working. And her companions had noticed. Michael had finally had enough.

"Alright Ms. Kennedi what is your deal? Your mind seems to be somewhere else. And I think it is on a certain detective. Am I right?" Kennedi rolled her eyes at her friend while trying not to smile. She knew she failed miserably when she grinned at Michael anyway.

"What detective? Ken are you holding out on us? Come on I'm an old married woman I need to live vicariously through you." Kellie demanded.

"Well…" she started.

"Detective? Kennedi you do realize that if Danny finds out that it might not be pretty?"

"Yes thank you for that Kristi. I do realize that. I don't even know if I have to worry about a D.J. freak out just yet."

"Why don't you know?"

"Because I met him at a coffee shop that day Michael blew me off for Andrew."

"Sorry sweetie but Andrew is just so hot."

"It's alright Mikey. Anyway we flirted a little; he helped me decide on West Side Story, and then we talked for about three hours. We just had this connection you know? I like him a lot and he didn't seem to mind that I was D.J.'s little sister. So I gave him my number when he asked for it. He called a couple of days later telling me that he was stuck at work solving a case and didn't know when he would be able to ask me out. I asked him if he would have time to come over for dinner instead. He said that he could. So I decided to make him chicken parm and tell him about Connor that night."

"Wait a minute you didn't tell him about Connor when you were talking for three hours at that coffee shop?"

"No Kristi I didn't. For some reason I didn't want to just blurt out that I had a kid. I know that's how I usually do it but I want to see if I can make this work with Don. So after dinner I sat him down on the couch and I told him everything."

"Everything everything?"

"Yeah Kellie everything. Now I'm starting to regret it. What if that was too much information to soon? What if he doesn't want to see me again? I mean we have talked since then but not about Connor or anything else. Right after I told him he got called into work but he told me that he wanted to finish this and he just needed to let it sink in some more. I just want him to be ok about this. I haven't felt a connection like this in a long time."

"I don't know what to tell you hon. You are the only sister that has to deal with telling guys stuff like this. I mean Adam and I had our issues in the beginning but nothing like this."

"Yeah me either Ken. I have never had to deal with telling Jason something like that." Kennedi smiled at her sisters. They tried to help but there was only so much they could do. Michael didn't seem to know what to say to her either. She was about to answer them when her phone rang, so she answered that instead.

"Hello"

_"Hey Kennedi it's Don."_

"Hey how are you?" she asked as a big smile came over her.

_"I'm good. I was just wondering what you were doing tomorrow because I have the day off and I want to talk to you."_

"How about we have lunch around eleven-thirty?"

_"I'd like that. Want me to pick you up at your place?"_

"Sure that works for me."

_"Now that we have our next date set, I can ask you how your day has been going."_

"It's good so far and I would really love to continue talking to you but I'm actually having lunch with my sisters and Michael. So can I call you later?"

_"Of course you can but I just have one more question for you?"_

"What's that?"

_"Are you at a restaurant in the same neighborhood as the coffee shop we met in because I see the most beautiful girl in front of me?"_

"Why yes I am and thank you. Would you like to join us?" Kennedi looked around to see if she could see Don in the crowd around the café they were at.

_"I would love to as long as the others don't mind."_

"They won't mind come on over." Kennedi hung up her phone than and before she could explain what was going on Don came up behind her.

"Hi." Kennedi smiled and turned around.

"Hey have a seat and let me introduce you." Don sat down and waited to be given introductions.

"Alright this is my sister Kristi, she's the lawyer. Next to her is my other sister Kellie, the married one. And this guy over here is Michael, the one that blew me off that day. Guys this is Don Flack the detective I was telling you about."

"My goodness you look good enough to eat. Kennedi my love he is delectable. I approve." Kennedi laughed at Michael, while Don looked slightly scared.

"Don't mind Michael he's harmless. Did you say your name was Flack?" Kristi said.

"Kristi be nice. Our sister likes this guy don't scare him off please. So Don I already know that you like my sister but what I really want to know is what Danny has told you about us?"

"All of you stop giving him the third degree! I'm sorry Don I had no idea they would be like this."

"It's alright. Michael it's nice to meet you but please don't eat me. Yes Kristi my name is Don Flack and Kellie to be honest not that much. Danny just mentions you guys every once and a while. "

"Doesn't that mean your Danny's best friend? And as Danny's best friend shouldn't you already have known that Kennedi had a son?"

"Yes your brother is my best friend and yes he did mention at one time that one of you had a son. But in my defense we don't really talk that much about family and he doesn't talk about you three enough for me to remember which one of you it was that has a son. Truth be told I don't always remember that Danny has a nephew and your sister was just so beautiful that day that I couldn't expect to remember that she might have a kid."

"Fair enough I will except that answer. Now about this weekend has anybody asked our dear brother if he will be bringing Lindsay?"

"What's this weekend?" Don asked.

"Oh it's Connor's birthday and we are having a party at my parents house. You can come if you want." Kennedi answered him. Her sisters looked at her surprised that she invited him to her son's party when she didn't even know if he wanted to continue to see her. Don just smiled.

"I'd love to come." If Kennedi's invitation surprised the group, then Don's answer shocked them. It was obvious what Don had decided and Kennedi and he just sat there smiling at each other.

"That still doesn't answer my question about Lindsay. Mom is dying to meet her."

"I doubt he even told her about it Kristi you know how Danny is."

"Well how about you guys invite her yourselves?" The three sisters looked at the detective like he was crazy.

"How are we supposed to do that Don?"

"I could give you her number."

"That works for me. Ken I like this guy." So Don gave the sisters Lindsay's cell phone number and they decided to call her right then and there.

"I think Kennedi should do it cause it's her kids birthday."

"Good idea Kellie but I think we should go back to the apartment so we can use the speaker phone."

"Even better idea Kris that is why you are the smart one." After paying for lunch the sisters and Don said goodbye to Michael who had to go meet Andrew, then made their way to Kennedi's apartment. On the way there Don sent Danny a text asking him if he told Lindsay about the party this weekend. The two of them had been talking about a get together at Danny's parent's house earlier this week and at the time Danny wasn't sure if he was going and he hadn't mentioned it to his girlfriend yet. Just like he suspected he got a text back from Danny saying that Lindsay didn't know. When the four of them got to the apartment they went straight to the phone.

"Ken make sure you put it on speaker phone."

"I did put it on speaker phone. Now hush you it's ringing." The three sisters were all crowded around Kennedi's phone waiting for Lindsay to pick up.

_"Monroe"_

"Hi Lindsay this is Kennedi Messer, D.J.'s sister"

"Kennedi your going to confuse her she doesn't know who D.J. is. Sorry about that Lindsay I'm Kristi Danny's other sister."

_"Um hi."_

"And I'm Kellie I'm Danny's sister too."

"Would you two be quiet you're going to freak her out. Thank you. Lindsay it's Kennedi again. Sorry about Kellie and Kristi. We just wanted to call you and invite you out to our parent's house this weekend for my son, Connor's birthday. I asked D.J., that's my nickname for Danny by the way, to invite you to come with him but I know how he forgets things like that and all of us would really like to meet you. We have been hearing so much about you and I can't tell you how thrilled mom is to know that she is going to be a grandma again. Anyway the party is this Sunday and you can get there anywhere between noon and one. I think mom said we will be eating about one-thirty. We hope that you will decide to come. And when you talk to my brother will you tell him for me that having to work isn't going to work as an excuse this year and that his nephew is really looking forward to seeing him?"

_"Thank you for inviting me and I think that it is safe to say that both of us will be there on Sunday. I look forward to meet you guys too and I will pass along the message to Danny for you Kennedi. Oh and Don Danny has been asking me questions about your new girlfriend because I accidently let it slip that you mentioned her at lunch today. So I suggest that you and Kennedi figure out a way to tell him soon. I'm not going to keep this from him for long. See you all on Sunday."_ After Lindsay hung up Kennedi turned to look at Don.

"So why exactly does my brother's girlfriend know about us?"

"Well I didn't know how to tell you that I wanted to keep seeing you but didn't know how that would work with Connor and all. I was thinking how to tell you when I ran into Lindsay, Jessica, and Stella having lunch. They asked me what was bothering me so I told them after begging them to not tell Danny and they helped me figure out how to tell you, which is now completely pointless because I just told you."

"Alright that's cool. I'm glad you decided to keep seeing me. We can just take things slow and see how it goes. Now we should talk about two things. One you should probably stay for dinner tonight so you can meet Connor. Two how the hell are we going to tell Danny?"

"I'd love to stay for dinner and we will figure it out." Kellie and Kristi left a few minutes after hanging up with Lindsay promising their sister that they would see her on Sunday. After they left Don and Kennedi decided to watch a movie before they had to go pick up Connor.

**Well I certainly didn't expect this chapter to be almost as long as the last one. I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought. Even if you hate it and your ideas are always appreciated.**

**Brianna**

**P.S. if you haven't seen Eddie Cahill (Flack) in season seven of **_**FRIENDS**_** you totally should. His appearance in those episodes are partly to blame for these two chapters ******


	4. Connor

Connor Messer was a smart kid for his age, he noticed a lot about the people around him. His mom and his Aunts told him that he was a lot like his Uncle Danny in this way. This was helpful when something was going on with the family and his mother thought it would be better if he didn't know. Like when his Uncle Louie almost died from what his father's brother did to him. His mom told him that his Uncle had been in an accident but he knew from the way everybody was acting that there was more to it than that. No one ever really explained what had really happened but Connor was able to figure it out. His Uncle Danny and his mother where the ones that he could read the best, and over the last three weeks he noticed a subtle difference in his mother. The first time he noticed it was when she was late for lunch on the first snow day of the year; she had a smile on her face that could only mean one thing. She met a guy. He usually hated this smile because not to long after seeing it she would be sad, but there was something different about it this time. He couldn't explain it and it was driving him crazy. He just hoped that this time it would be different because his mother deserved to be happy. Despite his suspicions that his mother had a new boyfriend he was still completely surprised when her new boyfriend came with her to pick him up from school. When he spotted his mom she was leaning against the car laughing out loud at something the tall dark haired man in front of her had said. Neither one of them had seen him and as he watched them he couldn't help but think that they made a cute couple. Even though he wanted his mom to be happy he is still a slightly selfish young boy, who wanted his mom all to himself. So he had a couple of questions for this guy, like if he was a Yankee fan or if he followed the Rangers at all.

"So Mom I was thinking that for my birthday this year we could go to a Rangers game what do you think?" the black-haired boy greeted them. Don and Kennedi turned at the sound of his voice.

"Kid you know I don't like to go to those games but maybe your Uncle will go with you. How was school?" the redhead answered her son.

"You're a Rangers fan? Maybe we can go to a game together because I love them and I know for a fact that Danny isn't the biggest fan of hockey." Don told the young man. Connor, who had only been paying attention to his mother, turned to look at the man.

"How do you know my Uncle Danny doesn't like the Rangers?" the detective looked at Kennedi to see if she was going to interject but the young mother just smiled at him, as if to say you're on your own.

"Because your Uncle Danny and I are friends and we work together." Connor studied the older man for a minute trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not.

"So you're a scientist and a cop like Uncle Danny?"

"No, I'm a homicide detective."

"Oh cool, does that mean Uncle Danny introduced you to my mom?"

"No we met at a coffee shop. We haven't told Danny that we're seeing each other yet. I think your mom wanted you and me to meet first."

"You and Uncle Danny get along ok?"

"He is my best friend; I would trust him with my life and do at least once a week."

"You a Yankee fan?" Don was surprised at the sudden change of subject but answered anyway.

"Do birds fly?" Connor smiled at Don's sarcasm.

"Connor Messer nice to meet you." He told the older man sticking out his hand for Don to shake.

"Don Flack and it's nice to meet you too." The detective responded shaking Connor's hand. Kennedi, who had been watching the two of them with a smile, made her presence known once more.

"Alright kid what should we have for dinner?" she asked her son.

"I have been craving Chinese food all day and since it is officially my birthday weekend I think we should order in. Don are you staying for dinner?" Connor answered as the three of them got into the car.

"Your birthday isn't until Sunday but I guess we can order in." Kennedi told her son laughingly.

"Yes but we always celebrate my birthday on a Sunday, because Nonna always wants to have a party where everyone can be there."

"That is true your grandmother does always insist on having a party so she has an excuse to feed everybody."

That night over Chinese takeout Don and Connor got to know each other a little bit better. Connor would ask Don a question, which the detective would answer and then ask one of his own.

"So Don Do you have any brothers or sisters?" the young boy asked.

"Yes I do. An older brother named Nathan and a younger sister named Samantha. What do you like to do when you hang out with your friends?" the older man responded.

"Cool I have always kind of wanted a sibling. I mostly play baseball and street hockey with the kids from my grandparent's neighborhood, but my best friend Joey is the only one that goes to school with me and lives in the city. We met in elementary school and his mom actually works at one of the restaurants that my family owns. He is also the only one of my friends that knows I like photography. What do you like to do when you're not catching bad guys?"

"Your family owns more than one restaurant? That is a little cool. And when I'm not working I like to people watch, which is what I was doing when I met your mother. I also like to watch sports and sometimes your Uncle and I play basketball. What do you do with Danny when you see him?"

"I don't see him as much as I like too anymore and mom says it's because he has a new girlfriend but he taught me how to play the guitar. And he tells me about my dad and the times they played baseball together. Did Uncle Danny tell you if he was coming to my party this weekend or not?"

"No he didn't mention it but something tells me that your mom took care of it. It's really cool that Danny and your mom tell you about your dad."

"Yeah I love to hear stories about him and when I graduate from high school I plan on joining the marines just like my dad was going to. Don do you have to work on Sunday because if you don't you should come to my birthday party, I know that Nonna and Nonno wouldn't mind because that means less of the food will go to waste." Kennedi, who had been silently watching the two of them question each other, laughed out loud at Connor's statement.

"Well if your grandmother is as good of a cook as your mother is then I guess I have no choice because food that good should not go to waste." Don answered.

"I agree. Hey mom can we watch a movie?"

"If you help me clean up dinner then I don't see why we can't. Don would you like to watch a movie?" the young mother said turning to look at her boyfriend. After cleaning up dinner the three of them went into the living room and settled in to watch The Bourne Identity. When the movie was over and Connor had fallen asleep on the couch, the couple finally had a chance to talk.

"So you're Connor approved; now all we have to do is figure out how we are going to let D.J. know." Kennedi told him.

"I think we should tell him together and what better time to do that then on Sunday when we are all together?"

"Good point but I feel like we should warn him or something first. And thank you for involving Connor tonight, most guys would have just ignored him and been annoyed that he would even be here."

"I actually had fun tonight; Connor seems like a cool kid. I don't mind having him around. Everybody has some baggage and yours just happens to be a good kid. If you want to warn your brother how about telling him that if he comes this weekend he gets to meet your new boyfriend."

"I like that idea. I do have to work tomorrow since I took this afternoon off but you can come in for lunch if you like. If not how about we just meet here on Sunday morning and head to my parents house together?"

"That works for me. I'm not sure if I'll come by for lunch but I will see you Sunday morning." Don agreed with her. The two of them walked to the door and Kennedi wrapped her arms around him in a hug, which he returned before saying goodnight and leaving.

The next day while Don was running some errands he thought about Kennedi and how much he liked spending time with her. He could see himself falling for her, fast. When they were driving back to the apartment and he was listening to Connor tell his mother about his day, he couldn't help but think that he could get use to this. When that thought passed through his mind it surprised him and scared him a little bit. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and tried to forget about it. But when they were watching the movie later it hit him once more that if things worked out that this could be his life. He doesn't usually have thought or feelings like these in the beginning of a relationship, if he was being honest with himself he never thought like this with any other woman before. The reality of how strong his feelings for Kennedi were hit him like a bullet to the heart and he really needed to talk about them with somebody. Usually he talked to Danny about this sort of thing but since Kennedi and he decided to tell Danny about them together, he couldn't talk to his best friend. But there was someone else that he could talk to about this and that was who he liked to call his Angell. He called her that because she had helped him through more girl problems then he could count. Plus they had the kind of brother/sister relationship that Don wished he had with his own sister.

"Angell." Greeted the voice of detective Jessica Angell.

"Hey Jess its Don. I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch." He asked his friend.

"Sure I can do lunch. Where did you want to go, the diner?"

"Yeah that works for me. I can be there in ten minutes does that work for you?"

"I'll be there in five." She told him before hanging up.

Ten minutes later Don walked into the diner that had started to become their place and spotted his friend already sitting in a booth with a sprite in front of her. The pair hugged each other hello before Don took his seat across from her. Moments after he took his seat the waitress came over to give him his Dr. Pepper and take their orders. Jessica waited to speak while Don drank half of his soda at once.

"You and your damn Dr. Pepper." Jessica said rolling her eyes, while Don just laughed. That was the reason he liked to come here because they had his favorite soda. When Don was about ten his father had decided that he wanted to see the southern part of the country and dragged his family with him. For the entire trip his father made all of them drink water, saying that it was better for them so that the heat down there didn't dehydrate them. Halfway through the trip Don got tired of water so his father told him he could have a soda with dinner that night. He had never had the kinds of soda that the restaurant offered so the waiter made a suggestion and brought him a Dr. Pepper. He had been addicted to it ever since and there were very few places in New York that had it. For a while he was convinced that nobody sold it but he found a small grocery store that did, and a few years ago he found this diner that had it. It was one of those small quirks that made up Don Flack; there was a good chance that if he needed caffeine and he could get his hands on Dr. Pepper then he would drink that before drinking coffee. Not many people knew about his love for Dr. Pepper and most of the ones that did made fun of him for it.

"Don't be dissing the awesomeness that is this drink, this is the first one I have had today because I ran out at home."

"I did not say anything against your precious drink. Now as much as I love talking about your weird attachment to a carbon based liquid I assume there was something specific that you wanted to talk about."

"Well I had dinner with Kennedi and Connor last night." Don told his friend.

"And how did it go? I know you really like her and from what Stella and Lindsay tell me she really likes you, so how was it meeting her son?"

"It went well. Connor is a great kid and Kennedi said that he liked me so I don't think there will be any problems with him. We had dinner together and then watched a movie. The entire time I couldn't help but think that I could get use to this, I could see myself coming home to the two of them every night. I have never felt this strongly about anyone before and it scares the crap out of me Jess. I never thought that I would find someone that I would want to come home to every night, let alone someone with a kid. But ever since I met her I keep getting these images in my head of us in the future. At first it was just the two of us but after she told me about Connor they changed to include him too. I think that this has a real chance of working and I want it to work." Don finished feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was finally able to tell someone what had been going through his head and that helped to ease some of his fear.

"It sounds like you have this pretty much figured out Don. There really isn't anything I can tell you that you don't already know. Kennedi seems to be good for you and Stella has nothing bad to say about her. If she makes you happy then I don't really see a problem with her." Jessica told him not sure what he wanted to hear.

"I know but what if she isn't feeling as strongly about me as I am about her? How does Connor factor in to this? I don't want to scare her away. And what about Danny?"

"I think the best thing for you to do is talk to her about it. If it is meant to be then it will work itself out. If the two of you really want to make this work then you will find a way to involve Connor in your lives, as for Danny I think that if he sees the two of you together and sees that you truly care about her then he will come around."

"Thanks Jess this is exactly what I needed. Now what are you doing the rest of the day because I am going to see if I can find a birthday present for Connor and I would love to have your input."

"Sounds like fun. What exactly does this kid like anyway?" Jessica asked as she followed Don out of the diner.

_Meanwhile_

_"I know that you like this guy and I believe you when you say he is a decent man. I just want you to be careful and not move to fast. I don't want you or Connor to get hurt." _Kennedi sighed as she listened to her mother lecture her. There was really no pleasing this woman. When she wasn't with anybody her mom told her that she should be with somebody. Now that she was with someone her mom was telling her to slow down. Julieanna Messer was a hard woman to please but Kennedi knew that once her mom met Don she would back off. Her mom was still talking when Kennedi heard the bell over the door.

"Ma I got to go some customers just came in. Connor, Don, and I will see you tomorrow."

_"But Kennedi…"_

"Mom seriously I have to go back to work. Why don't you give D.J. a call and ask him if his girlfriend is having any aversions to food so you know what to cook for tomorrow."

_"Oh alright but don't think this conversation is over young lady." _After hanging up with her mother Kennedi looked up to see who had come in and was surprised to see Stella sitting at the counter in front of her with young woman about her age.

"Hey Stella! You haven't been in here in a while, to what to I owe this pleasure?" The redhead asked the CSI, who smiled at her.

"Well I figured that since it was a slow day at work I would treat Lindsay here to lunch." The Greek woman said motioning to the young woman she came in with. As soon as Stella said her name Kennedi's eyes widen in surprise.

"No way? Stella is this really Lindsay?" Kennedi asked coming around the counter.

"Yes ma'am it is and did I mention that I forgot to tell your brother?"

"No you didn't mention that but he will get over it. Sorry Lindsay we've just been talking about you in front of you. I'm Kennedi Messer and it is nice to finally meet you." Kennedi said giving Lindsay a hug. The expectant mother was surprised by the hug for a moment but then returned it.

"It is nice to meet you too Kennedi. To be honest when Stella told me we were coming here I was a little freaked out."

"Why I don't bite and plus it's better to know at least one other person besides your significant other when meeting the Messer clan." When Kennedi said this, Lindsay's eyes went wide with fear.

"Why is it a good idea to know someone else?" The CSI asked nervously.

"Oh its nothing scary, but sometimes my mother can be a little overwhelming and D.J. will be no help to you. Dad, Louie and the rest of the guys will have him distracted. If you already know one of us girls then we can call mom off a little easier. The only thing you should worry about is mom trying to feed you to death. She is an Italian Mama that likes to feed everybody." Lindsay looked relieved.

"That I can handle, my mother always tries to stuff as much food down my throat as possible when I'm home. I want to ask you if you will help me with telling your sisters apart though. I'm afraid that I won't remember how to do it and call one of them by the others name."

"Oh that won't be a problem; actually they would love to meet you. Would you mind if I called them and they came by?"

"Sure why not?" One phone call and fifteen minutes later the other two Messer sisters joined them. The two sisters looked almost exactly like Kennedi. The three of them were the same height and had the same facial structure. But instead of Kennedi's emerald green eyes, they had bright sapphire blue eyes. And where Kennedi had dark red hair, Kellie and Kristi had the dirty blonde hair that the rest of the Messer men had. When they were little everybody told their mother that their blonde hair wouldn't look good on them but somehow they pulled it off. When she first saw Kennedi, Lindsay didn't think she could possibly look like her sisters at all. But now that she saw all three sisters together not only did she see the resemblance between the three of them, she saw how much they looked like Danny.

"Hi Lindsay I'm Kellie Pascal, it is so nice to finally meet you." Greeted the blonde in the long denim skirt, converse and an old Rent t-shirt. Kristi was standing beside her in a black business suit and smiled at Lindsay.

"I'm Kristi Messer but I think you must know that already. It's nice to meet you." Kristi said introducing herself.

"It's nice to meet both of you, I'm Lindsay but you already know that." the mid-western girl told the sisters.

"Alright girls Lindsay was just asking me how to tell the two of you apart maybe you can help her out." Kennedi told her sisters.

"One good way is to remember that I'm a lawyer and my sister's tell that even when I'm not wearing my work clothes I look like one. Another good way is our engagement rings. Mine is a square cut diamond and Kellie's is a round cut diamond. Hers also looks a little old fashioned because it was Adam's grandmothers. And as you get to know us you it will become easier." Kristi said to Lindsay. For the next few hours the three sisters got to know the woman that was carrying there niece or nephew.

**Hey everybody. I hope that there are people that are still reading this. I'm so sorry for not updating sooner but I have been working like crazy. Which I know is no excuse but I hope this chapter is ok. I'm not real sure about it being good. I wanted to put Connor's birthday party in this chapter but it didn't fit, so hopefully next chapter will have Danny's reaction and the party. Please let me know what you think. As for me I am counting down the hours to the season premier! **

**Brianna**


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